Automatic barrel cleaning machine



April 9, 1940. K. E. DRECHSLER 0 9 AUTQMATIC BARREL CLEANING MACHINE Original Fig.1.

QNVEN'T'OR KARL ERN$ET DKECMSLER Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Original application June 13, 1935, Serial No. 26,341. Divided and this application June 11,

1937, Serial No. 147,731

3'Claims.

The present; application is a division of my United States application Serial No. 26,341, filed June 13, 1935, and relates to machines for cleaning and pitching barrels of the kind described in said earlier application.

The spray nozzles used for spraying the interior of barrels, are arranged vertically to engage the downward positioned bungholes of the barrels. These spray nozzles are rotated on their axles by suitable worm gearing later to be described. Since it is often necessary that these spraying nozzles be cleaned, it is therefore important that they be replaced or exchanged in the most convenient and expeditious manner.

Since the worm gearing requires lubrication. means mustbe provided to prevent, first, the cleaning or spraying water from entering the lubricating means; and secondly, means must be provided to prevent the lubricating material from mixing with the spraying water.

Another object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantagesof structures heretofore used by which such mixing of oil and water took place and'ready replacement of the nozzles was impossible.

My invention also consists in providing means for moving the nozzles vertically within a frame and such frame being open, either at one side thereof or at the top which permits such vertical movement. The invention also provides means whichcovers the worm gearing and enables easy removal.

Another object of my invention is the provision of lubrication holding means. A particular feature of my invention is that the lubrication holding means embraces the driving shaft and provides a ready supply of lubrication to the worm gearing.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a partial view of an apparatus for cleaning barrels which illustrates an embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a partial front view of Figure 2 with the upper part of Fig. 3 shown without the cas ing designated as 2|;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line l-J of Figure 5; and

Figm'e 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 4.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figure 1, the shaft is is shown as extending throughout the apparatus. said shaft i9 being driven by suitable means which-are not shown. A weighted lever' i3 is provided with a bunghole engaging member i3a which is'adapted to enter the downwardly positioned bunghole 30 in the barrel indicated by reference character 3|. The position of the lever l3 when in' disengagement with the barrel 3|, is shown in dotted lines. The bunghole engaging member l3a consists of a roller l3b which easily locates the bunghole of the barrel, and this member is supported by the lever I3, which in turn is pivotally supported at 50, and at the other side of the pivot is provided with a weight 5|. While the member |3a is in registration with the bunghole, the weight acting upon the lever pushes the member upwardly, and while the barrel portion other than the bunghole portion rolls on the member 13d, it is depressed and the weight is lifted. A basin-like receptacle 22 extends belowthe barrel'3l and holds the cleaning water prior to its discharge. The container is provited with a portion in dicated by I la for the purpose of acting as a support for the barrel'3l.

A nozzle i2 is shown attached to pipe the latter being inserted in' the btnghole in barrel 3|. As shown in Fig. 5, said pipe 20 extends downwardly throogh partition 9b upon which the base 22a of container 22 rests, and to the base 9a of the frame 9 where it is connectable with water supply pipe I 0, shown also in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Said pipe 20 passes through the base 22a and partition 9b in a manner to prevent the water of the basin 22 from seeping out. The tube 20 is readily connected with a locknut connection I i and may be readily attached or detached, and removed or replaced. Said pipe 20 has a protecting member 28 which acts as a watertight bushing. and is provided with a collar 35 and a cap 36. A worm gear i8 is secured to the tube 20 and is in mesh with a worm gear I! which is secured to the shaft l9. By the rotation of the shaft 9 the worm gear IT with the worm gear I8 and consequently the tube 20, are also rotated.

A frame 9 supports the basin 22 and surrounds the tube 20. as shown in Fig. 5. the frame 9 being circular excepting one straight wall 31'. To the depending wall is secured a housing 2! which has an elongated portion extending along the shaft i 9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. and of circular contour. as shown in Fig. 2. so as to surround shaft i9 and the worm gear; and is pro vided with a lowermost portion 23 in the form of a cup which holds the lubricant. Said portion 23 is located close to the tube 20. as shown in Fig. 5, and has an upwardly extending rim 23a. Fork-shaped parts 23b extend toward and at each side of the pipe 20. To provide the contacting parts of members I! and I8 with lubricent, a special device is provided. Two flanges.

31 held around the shaft 19 by screws 38, said flanges having engaging portions 37a, shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4; and one of said flanges is provided with an extension 24 which dips into the lubricant contained in cup 23, once during each rotation.

The lubricant, so scooped is thrown against an arm 25 which is secured by a bolt 39 to the housing 2|, and said arm 26 is provided with an abutment 2! for preventing any further supply of lubricant than required. The outermost portion 25 of said arm 26 extends over the juncture of the gears i1 and I8. The lubricant supplied from the outer portion 25 lubricates the gearing only to the amount necessary therefor. By such limited and controlled supply of lubricant, the mixing of the oil with the cleaning water is avoided. The abutment 2! acts as a barrier allowing only seepage oil to pass to the end of the portion 25. Accumulated oil at 21 drops therefrom instead of seeping to the end of the portion 25, and such dropping is over the well 23 and not upon the gears. If too much oil were supplied, the surplus oil would seep along tube or pipe 20 downwardly and into the nut H and mix with the water in the pipe 20. It will be seen that spray pipe 20 and nozzle l2 may be constructed in a manner which will enable easily removal without interfering with the oil supply device.

In Fig. 3, connections I are provided to enable fastening bolts to be inserted for holding the parts together. As shown in Fig. 4, means 40 are provided at the ends of the housing 2| along the shaft [9 to prevent water from entering the housing and to prevent oil from passing out of the housing. A suitable gasket is provided.

It will have been seen that the invention consists among other things, of a machine for cleaning barrels which embodies a longitudinal shaft, a spray nozzle, and a pipe therefor together with means connecting said pipe with said shaft for rotation of the pipe including means for gathering the water of the spray nozzle, the combination of an oil-containing housing surrounding the shaft at its portion provided with means connecting it with the pipe for the spray nozzle, and additional means on said shaft for supplying oil from said housing to said connecting means. The machine could be used for pitching the inside of the barrels 'by using fluid pitch to pass through the nozzle i 2 instead of water.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the abovespeciflcally described embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit'thereof, such changes and modiflcations being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an automatic barrel cleaning machine in which a substantially vertically disposed fluid supply shaft is driven by gears from a substantially horizontal drive shaft, and wherein there is included in the vertical fluid supply shaft a detachable connection below the gears, a device for supplying a requisite minimum of lubricant to said gears and at the same time to exclude the lubricant from said vertical fluid shaft and its detachable coupling comprising a casing extending about the horizontal shaft and its. gear and having a lower rounded portion to form a lubricant supply cup, said lower portion being fork-shaped with parts extending on opposite sides of said vertical fluid shaft above the detachable coupling, the portion between the forkshaped parts being turned up to form a rim between the cup and said vertical fluid supply shaft, an arm suspended in said casing above the gears and having a free end disposed over the contacting parts of the-gears for dripping lubricant on such contacting parts, said rim lying on the vertical fluid supply shaft side of the vertical line connecting the free lubricant-delivery end of said arm and the contacting portions of said gears whereby the lubricant will drip from the contacting portions of the gears back into said cup, said arm having an abutment to, one side of said gears, and means rotating with said horizontal shaft in a concentric line with said abutment and with said cup for entering the cup and splashing lubricant against said abutment.

2. In an automatic barrel, cleaning machine in which a horizontal shaft drives a substantially vertical fluid supply shaft through they medium of intermeshing gear wheels on said shafts whichgear wheels are disposed above a detachable connection in the fluid supply shaft, the combination of a device for supplying a requisite minimum amount of lubricant to the contacting surfaces between saidgear wheels and for shielding the vertical fluid supply shaft and its detachable connection from such lubricant, comprising a casing extending about said horizontal shaft and having a round wall forming at the bottom thereof beneath said horizontal shaft and the contacting portions of said gear wheels a cupfor containing a supply of lubricant, an arm secured to said casing and having a lower end thereof disposed above the contacting portions of the gear wheels, said arm also having an abutment, means rotating with said horizontal shaft concentrically with said cup andabutment' to splash lubricant from the cup against said abutment, said cup having an upturned rim on the fluid supply shaft side of a vertical line connecting the lower end of the arm and the contacting portions of said gear wheels.

3. In an automatic barrel cleaning machine wherein intermeshing gear wheels drive a hollow substantially vertical fluid supply shaft from a substantially horizontal drive shaft, and wherein is included in said vertical fluid supply shaft a detachable connection at a point relatively lower than said gear wheels, the combination of a device for supplying a minimum requisite amount of lubricant to the contacting surfaces of said gear wheels and at the same time keeping the fluid supply shaft and its detachable connection free of lubricant, comprising a casing extending about said horizontal shaft and its gear wheel and having a cup for lubricant formed in the lower part thereof, an arm in said casing having an abutment and a lower end spaced from the abutment and extending vertically above the contacting surfaces of said gear wheels, and means rotating with said horizontal shaft concentrically with said cup and abutment for splashing lubricant from the cup up against the abutment, and shielding means on the lower portion of said casing in close relation to said fluid supply shaft for interposing a barrier to the flow or splashing of lubricant against the vertical shaft or its detachable coupling.

KARL ERNST DRECHSLER. 

